World football governing body FIFA will test the usage of “advanced semi-automated offside technology” at the club world cup in a bid to curb the kind of scene that saw Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi being placed in induced coma.
Awoniyi was offside without his knowledge, but allowed to play on by the assistant referee owing to the fact that VAR will intervene in the event of goal, but it didn’t happen and the Nigerian ended up in a nasty collection with the goal post.
He was allowed to play on after a medical examination, but 24 hours later he was rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery which led to him being placed in an induced coma. He has since recovered.
FIFA will use the upcoming club world cup to try a system which gives quick audio signal in the assistant’s ear, instructing them to raise the flag in very obvious offside situations, like that of Awoniyi. Already it has been trailed successfully at the Intercontinental Cup in December, and at a number of youth tournaments.
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In a statement FIFA said the system would “track players’ positions and the ball, providing automated, real-time alerts to match officials in the event of clear offsides.”
This does not, however, mean an end to the delayed offside flag that often frustrates supporters, and most offsides would still need to be validated before the decision is taken. It is not suggested that the technology is quick enough or advanced enough to intervene in closer decisions.
This remains a trial, approved by the IFAB, and is not yet approved for use across all football or the Premier League.
“I’m sure that, for all 117 match officials selected for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, being among those who are participating in the competition the first time ever is something very exciting, because they will be part of football history.
“These innovations demonstrate FIFA’s commitment to using technology and improving the overall football experience, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the transparency and understanding of refereeing decisions”, Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the FIFA’s referees committee, said.
